2023 Fall Convocation [SERIES]

This year’s is slated for Fall Convocation at Lutheridge, Monday, October 16, through Wednesday, October 18, 2023. Keynote speaker will be Dr. Luke A. Powery, the dean of Duke University Chapel and professor of homiletics at Duke Divinity School. All rostered ministers and other professional congregation ministry staff are welcome to attend (musicians, youth & family, administrators, etc.) for inspiration, rejuvenation, and fellowship. Registration link and agenda are coming soon.

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Convo begins with lunch on Monday and ends with lunch on Wednesday.

The daily schedule has been redesigned to allow smooth transitions, more rest and fellowship, and be welcoming to all participants in matters of inclusion, diversity, and equity—and friendly to families and children. The workshops are designed to explore and address current ministry challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as church and society dynamics.

Scroll to see the schedule, workshop options, and more.

Registration is closed.

Welcome to Fall Convocation!

The 2023 NC Synod Fall Convocation for rostered ministers, church professionals, and assigned SAMs will be a gathering place to be inspired, learn, worship, rest, and have fellowship.

Synod staff, partner organizations, and Bishop Timothy Smith will be present to listen to you and share information regarding synod resources for our ministry together.

We look forward to seeing you at Lutheridge!

Introducing Keynote Speaker the Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery

This year's convo keynoter is the Dean of Duke University Chapel and Professor of Homiletics and African and African American Studies. He holds faculty appointments in Duke’s Divinity School and the Department of African and African American Studies in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. A national leader in the theological study of the art of preaching (homiletics), Dean Powery regularly delivers sermons at Duke Chapel as well as churches throughout the United States. His book, Becoming Human: The Holy Spirit and the Rhetoric of Race, received the 2023 Book of the Year from the Academy of Parish Clergy.

Dr. Powery will walk with us sharing insights, life experiences, and fresh knowledge associated with homiletics, as well as the role of the Holy Spirit in our becoming human and in the context of the rhetoric of race.

Fall Convocation Preachers

The Rev. Dr. Alfredo M. Oviedo, Assistant to the Bishop

Opening Worship Service

The Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery

Closing Worship Service

2023 Fall Convo Schedule

Monday, October 16:

10:30 a.m. Registration Opens

12:30 p.m. LUNCH

1:30 p.m. Opening Worship w/Communion @ Chapel (the Rev. Dr. Alfredo Oviedo, preaching)

2:30 p.m. Break & Snacks

2:45 p.m. Welcome & Icebreakers (Jonathan Conrad)

3:00 p.m. Keynote 1 (Dr. Powery)

4:00 p.m. Break & Snacks

4:15 p.m. Workshop 1

6:00 p.m. DINNER

7:30 p.m. Reception & Fellowship

Tuesday, October 17:

7:30 a.m. Stretch & Pray in the Faith Center

8:30 a.m. BREAKFAST

9:15 a.m. Morning Matins

9:30 a.m. Keynote 2 (Dr. Powery)

10:30 a.m. Break & Snacks

10:45 a.m. Workshop 2

12:00 p.m. Time with Bishop's Staff

12:30 p.m. LUNCH

Afternoon Sabbath Time (see Inspiration tab)

DINNER on your own

7:30 p.m. Reception & Trivia Night with Prizes

Wednesday, October 18:

8:30 a.m. BREAKFAST

9:15 a.m. Closing Worship w/Communion @ Chapel (Dr. Powery Preaching)

10:15 a.m. Break & Snacks

10:30 a.m. Ministry Moment (Lutheran Disaster Response Carolinas)

10:45 a.m. Ministry Moment (Justice & Advocacy Ministries)

11:00 a.m. Time with Bishop Smith

12:00 p.m. Closing & Sending

12:30 p.m. LUNCH (Buffet & Boxes to Go)

Workshops

Workshop #1—Monday 4:15 - 5:15 p.m.

Movement for a Healthy Body & Brain: Stretches and strengthening for improvement in mobility, balance, focus, and concentration skills! If you can sit in a chair, you can incorporate these ideas in your daily life. Region 9 Deacon Intern D’Etta Brown ~ Faith Center

Disciple Engagement vs. Volunteer Management—Coaching a Paradigm Shift with Your Leaders: Learn how shifting the language and perspective of leaders both rostered and lay can change the dynamics around engaging volunteers. Heidi Kleine ~ Mission Hall

The What, Why, and How of Spiritual Direction: We’ll explore the benefits of spiritual direction, how to get started, and what to expect when engaging in a spiritual direction relationship. The Rev. Pam Northrup ~ Lower Efird

Congregational Vitality: The Vitality Team is back in action! Looking for ways to breathe life into your congregation and your ministry? We'll have resources you can use - and you can share your own ideas and experiences. Leave the workshop with potential 'next steps.' NC Synod Vitality Team ~ Kohnjoy Conference Room

Workshop #2—Tuesday 10:45 - 11:45 a.m.

Processing Keynotes 1 & 2: Join Dr. Powery for an opportunity to process his keynotes. The Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery ~ Faith Center

“Well, Hello There!”: All newcomers to the synod—and those who still feel like newcomers—are invited to gather for a time of introduction. A goal is to help you begin to build a strong and sustainable support system among colleagues. The Rev. Jonathan Conrad ~ Upper Efird

Listening Session for the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC): This workshop offers the opportunity to provide feedback to the CRLC on questions developed by the Commission, and to hear information about the beginnings of the CRLC’s work. ~ Dr. Susan Wilds McArver & Deacon Dallas J. Shealy ~ Kohnjoy Conference Room

Evening Fellowship Opportunities

Monday night fellowship time begins at 7:30 p.m.

Stay tuned for the location and an additional description.

Tuesday night fellowship time begins at 7:30 p.m. and includes trivia with prizes.

Stay tuned for the location and an additional description.

Inspiration & Sabbath Time

A Note from the Rev. Dr. Alfredo M. Oviedo, Assistant to the Bishop and synod staff liaison to the Fall Convo Planning Team:

Goodreads Google search lists 69,738 inspirational quotes in 30 categories, including faith, religion, and spirituality. Here are some of them:

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
―Corinthians 13:13 (KJV)

Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.
—St. Augustine of Hippo

The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.
―Soren Kierkegaard

Without music, life would be a mistake.
―Friedrich Nietzsche, "Twilight of the Idols"

None of us knows what might happen even the next minute, yet still we go forward. Because we trust. Because we have faith.
―Paulo Coelho

But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.
―Martin Luther King, Jr.

We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.
―Martin Luther

What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain.
―Maya Angelou, "Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now"

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
―St. Thomas Aquinas

La mayor locura que puede hacer un hombre en esta vida es dejarse morir. (The major madness a human can do in this life is to let himself die).
―Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, "Don Quijote de la Mancha I"

Inspiring quotes may lift our spirits in times of crisis—when feeling hopeless—and give us a sense of meaning and direction, but as they are short and many, they are easy to forget.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Jesus of Nazareth's teachings include sayings, metaphors, and short stories (e.g., parables), and these continue to inspire the lives of millions of Christians all over the world. Nevertheless, the most inspiring of all is the story of Jesus of Nazareth…the love story of God becoming flesh, death on the cross, and resurrection! Fall Convocation is a gathering of Jesus’ disciples, blessed with and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to share in fellowship our real-life inspiring stories, worship, learning, and rest. I am looking forward to seeing you at Lutheridge!

Sabbath Time Planned Options

Tuesday afternoon will be a time for you to choose what you'd like to do. Rest, visit Asheville, go for a hike—you name it! This year, there are some planned activities which are noted below. Additionally, there will be sign-up sheets at the back of the Faith Center to encourage mingling. Think about what you would like to do and sign up by breakfast on Tuesday. At lunch, we will announce which groups will be meeting where and when. If you have an idea about an option not listed, please add your own sign-up sheet to the Sabbath Time table.

Book Signing with Dr. Luke A. Powery @Dining Hall (Leader: Alfredo M. Oviedo)
Assemble LIRS Fresh Change Kits @TBA (Leader: Michael Dickson)
Group Hike at Lutheridge
Carpool to Dupont State Park
Carpool to Town Square at Biltmore Park
Carpool to the Pinball Museum
Carpool to Sierra Nevada Brewery

Christmas Is Coming

Vice President Haywood on the Synod Bishop’s Election